Forbidden Colors

Rain slanted across the floor-to-ceiling windows on a late autumn day. Lin Zhixia curled up in the corner of the studio, watching the cobalt blue bloom across Cheng Yanqiu's palette. Rose-colored nails tapped against the porcelain, and a faint scent of bitter orange lingered in the breeze stirred by her stepmother as she turned around. "You keep staring at me. When are you going to finish your homework?" Her voice held a lazy hint of reproach, which quietly melted away as the tips of the girl's ears flushed red.

The paintbrush suddenly stopped in midair. When Cheng Yanqiu glanced back, a sly smile played in the crinkles at the corners of her eyes. Her paint-stained fingertips lightly touched the girl's burning cheek. "Had your fill of looking?" Her silk robe slipped off one shoulder with the movement. Moonlight washed over her collarbone, just barely visible, while the pearl hairpin swaying in her hair made one's heart itch. Lin Zhixia hurriedly lowered her head to hide her scarlet ears. Her pencil smudged a tangle of lines across the sketchbook, but then she heard the rustle of fabric behind her. The woman padded barefoot across the wool rug, and her warm breath suddenly brushed past Lin Zhixia's ear. "Keep getting distracted, and your teacher will make you draw a hundred figure sketches as punishment."

Disclaimer: This is a revised version.

Theme: None.